Invalid-bed.



No. 836,397. PATENIED NOV. 20, 1906.

W. C. MGGOUGH.

INVALID BED.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26,1905.

' WMM f im `nmmmlulm .UNITED STATES IDATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. MCGOUGH, OF WILMERDING, PENNSYLVANIA.

INVALID-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2o, 190e.

Application nea september 26,1905. sel-aina 280,112.

. improvements in invalid-beds. p

The construction particularly contemplated embodies, generally speaking, means for raising and locking at any desired height the supporting-frame of the bed away from the bedstead proper and mattress mounted thereupon. The object resident in this function is the provision of space for the insertion and withdrawal of receptacles interposed between the supporting-frame of the bed and the mattress.

The detail construction will appear in the course of the following description, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, like characters specifying like parts through the several views, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an invalid-bed constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, an end view thereof looking toward the front, and Fig. 3 a transverse sectional view.

The invention is shown in the drawings as applied to a bed A, constructed for the most part along conventional outlines and embodying corner-posts 1, held together by a rectangular-frame 2, passing around. the posts near the base thereof, said corner-posts being united in pairs adjacent to the top thereof by cross-bars 3 and adjacent to the bottom thereof by cross-bars 4. The several parts above mentioned are preferably constructed of metal in a well-known manner for the purpose of giving strength and rigidity to the assembled structure. A rectangular frame 5 is slidably mounted upon the bed within the area bounded by the cornerposts and is adapted to have movement in a vertical direction, said frame interiitting at its corners over the corner-posts 1, the latter serving as guides for the same during the vertical travel thereof in either direction and being aided in this function by verticallygrooved guides 6, disposed at the ends of the bedstead and centrally located between the posts 1, in which guides 6 extensions carried erably shown two opposing l fulcrumed to one another.

by the frame 5 are designed to engage. 'The frame 5 is raised and lowered by a lazy-tong mechanism embodying a plurality of pairs of toggle-links fulcrumed together in the usual manner common to lazy-tong construction. Any number of links may be employed in the construction of the lazy-tong mechanism, v

but for the sake of convenience I have prefpairs, which are One pair of said lazy-tong links comprises a pair of short-link toggles 7, which are mounted upon a longitudinal shaft 8, passing beneath the frame 2 of the bedstead and Journaled in the cross-bars 4. The other member of the lazy-tong aparatus embodies a pair of longer togglelinks 9, which cross one another and are fulcrumed at their junction and at their lower ends to the toggles 7, as at 10, and at their upper ends to brackets depending from the frame 5, as at 11. The lazy tongs are arranged in the same manner on each end of the bed. Expansive and retractile movement is imparted to said tongs by virtue of an arc-shaped connecting -link 12, which is fulcrumed to the toggles 9 at their junction With one another, as at said link 12 being pivoted, as at 14, to a lateral extension 15, carried by the shaft 8.

Rigidly mounted upon the shaft 8 and on the exterior, preferably, of the cross-bar 4 is a ratchet-wheel 16, with which is adapted to engage a pawl 17, pivotally mounted upon said bar 4. The shaft S is rotated by means of a crank 18, secured upon the end thereof. Supports 19 of any approved or desired form for supporting a mattress or other bedding are carried by the frame 5. In operation when it is desired to move the frame 5 away from the frame 2 the crank 18 is rotated in the proper direction, so as to impart movement to the shaft 8 and the link 12 connected thereto, thereby expanding the lazy-tong mechanism and raising the frame 5 upon the frame of the bed, the corner-posts and guideways 6, serving as guides. The frame 5 is held at any height from the frame 2 by virtue of the locking engagement of the pawl 17 and ratchet-wheel 14. Should the frame 5, however, be raised, in the manner described to the limit of its travel, the link 12, owing to its angular disposition with relation to the extension 14, will reach a position where the pivotal connection between'the link and the said extension will be at a dead-center, thereby preventing the downward movement 13, the other end of IOO IIO

of the frame 5 by gravity. When it is desired to lower said frame, the pawl 17 is manually released from engagement with the ratchetwheel 14, and the frame may be dropped either by gravity or by rotating the shaft 8 through the crank 18 in a reversed direction.

It is obvious that various minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a bed7 the combination with the corner-posts, a frame rigidly secured thereto, rigid top cross-bars and rigid lower crossbars connecting the posts at each end of the frame, and grooved guides connected to said top cross-bars and to the rigid frame, of a movable frame engaging the guides and engaging the posts between the top cross-bars l grooved guides secured to said rigid-frame, a

vertically-movable frame engaging the posts and said guides, cross-bars connecting the posts at each end of the bed together near the lower ends of the posts, an actuatingshaft journaled in said cross-bars7 and toggle- I links connecting the actuating-shaft with the vertically-movable frame.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM C. MoGOUGI-I.

Witnesses: Y

C. KLOSTERMANN, E. E. POTTER. 

